electrocution.

You know, when do you do a full month of blogging about courage, you miss sharing some important events.

Like when I got electrocuted.

So.

Here’s that story.

[You’re welcome in advance.]

Let me first start by explaining this – in the USA, we use 120 volts. In Scotland, they use 230 volts. I have absolutely no idea what that means, but you can see the increase… which is necessary to add drama to the story, ya see. [Reasons I don’t write fiction: I tend to “build the story” by overexplaining, even when I don’t really know how to explain.]

So a few weeks ago, me and three Crossroads Edinburgh folks were hanging out in the church office. It was time for me head to my next destination [Starbucks, to be exact, to meet with a student who said, “I want you to meet my boyfriend because you are like extended family.” and I wanted to pass out and cry with joy at the same time because that is SO.SWEET].

As displayed in the diagram below, I innocently reached to unplug my computer.

Three things:

1. You can probably tell I’m the only one in the office today by the fact that I am able to reenact aforementioned electrocution.

2. Sorry about the nails. I partly blame the 31 Days of Courage and I partly blame the writing that is keeping me up at night. It’s good though… so it’s worth it. 🙂

3. I know that I don’t need that many converters on my computer. Tom, the pastor at church, laughs at me about it all the time. But it’s a comfort thing. Long story. Just know that I know.

Back to the picture.

Can you see those tiny metal prongs? Right. So, I go to unplug my computer on that fateful day in October and I didn’t notice that the metal plugs were exposed.

I grabbed and pulled. But as I grabbed the black plastic part, it stayed in the wall and my fingers slid onto the metal prongs. This is displayed in the photo below, though I’ll be honest and say that it made me nervous even to pretend.

My fingers made contact with the metal prongs still attached to the black plastic piece which was still attached to the wall which was pumping out 230 volts of electricity.

Which led to this happening.

Well, not really. But that would have been HILARIOUS.

What really happened it is just sorta zapped me and everyone in the room stopped and looked and were like, “whooooaaa… duuuuuude.” And I was like, “yeah, that just happened.”

Then my fingers tingled for approximately 48 hours.

So what I’m saying is I survived that experience but now I wince every time I go to unplug my computer.

I’m glad you didn’t get hurt. That’s dangerous stuff. Before I got to the picture at the end I was going to tell you how cute you are in braids. You’re still cute, but now I can only see Pipi Longstocking! (I have a cousin who stuck a bobby pin in an outlet and dropped it on her knee. She still has that scar.)

Thanks for the laugh! I have had some similar experiences with the electricity here. You are correct that you don’t need all those adapters, but I do understand why you don’t want to trust your computer to power you are not used to. I have mine on the 220-240 v power here all the time, but I have been here for a while.

I am wondering if those small bicycles had any part in the story. Were your ear lobes tingling for 48 hours too? :).

Hilarious, in a glad -you’re-okay kind of way. Firstly, that’s far too many adaptors for one plug. Secondly, really liking the pigtails and how Anna and Luke laughed at the pictures..! I’ve lived here for 37 years and I’ve managed to get by with just one small electrocutory episode. Phew.

So, my cousin, who is an electrician in the UK, says that the frequency of UK electricity just happens to be the frequency most likely to STOP YOUR HEART. Friendly FYI. 🙂 Be safe for your last few weeks, my friend!!

For the first few weeks I was living in France I was like that with the adapters when I plugged in my laptop too 🙂

One of my mom’s favorite stories to tell at family gatherings is how when I was 3 I thought it would be a great idea to stick her keys in the outlet at Denny’s. I had black hands for days, apparently. I like to say it was an early indicator of my genius, because I made a circuit – 1 key per socket, so the electricity flowed through me and back into the wall 🙂

When I was little, I decided to surprise my mom by cleaning the bathroom while she was sleeping…I started with the vanity lights, which were dusty. I drenched a rag with water, climbed on top of the countertop and proceeded to electrocute the mess out of myself {not literally, thank goodness}. My mom wasn’t at all surprised in a good way when I woke her up with my screaming and crying. Oops.

Here in Peru, the voltage is 220…so I get it! Every time I plug or unplug my computer it sends sparks flying and I just know one day I’m going to get it! Yikes!!!!

I’m a bit of a blog stalker. I never miss a post but don’t comment as often as I should. I’ll try to change that!

This is reminiscent of the time that I gave myself practically a second degree burn…from the treadmill. Funny but kind of painful lesson I learned about letting yourself lazily roll back on the treadmill. If you get clumsier with age, soon I’ll have to walk around in a padded suit…or maybe a plastic bubble.